Sunday, March 30, 2014

#edcampARL

Yesterday I attended my first decamp and I absolutely fell in LOVE with the edcamp UNconference model. The mood was relaxed, everyone dressed pretty casual and breakfast was served (thank you Starbucks, DD and Harris Teeter)! Then Joan Le, gave us the edcamp rules and told us that per 75% of the educators in the room were newbies which made me feel even more relaxed. There was a table of colorful stickies and markers. You put ANYTHING education on the sticky, the focus is not always technology and then a board is created. Like stickies are grouped together and sessions are created… no presentations, just a group of teachers. You don't have to be an expert to lead a session just willing to start a discussion or ask a question.

I decided to share about Mystery Skype and we had an awesome discussion. I love that everyone has their tech out and is tweeting, taking notes, Googling, etc. We made some great connections during each session and it was awesome to spend the day with likeminded educators who willingly gave up their Saturday to attend a professional development.

One of the edcamp rules is that you "vote with your feet" and are free to come and go from session to session. No one gets offended because there aren't any presenters, just educators brought together to share their expertise, learn from others, ask questions, connect, and grow professionally.

During the Smack Down everyone got to share a tool or thought but of course no one wanted to go first. I borrowed this pic from Twitter but I don't think Mr. Lands will mind:)!

I had an awesome day but one of the best parts was that I won a CHROME BOOK! ! ! I never WIN anything and I am so excited to play with my new toy. Thank you AlchemyLearning and edcampARL!

The edcampARL team did an outstanding job pulling the day together! I had such an amazing day and completely fell in love with the edcamp model. I am attending #edcampDCMetro next weekend in Bethesda, MD and cannot wait! I am also a little obsessed with the idea of planning my own edcamp with a team. I was up far past my bedtime researching and connecting with other edcamp organizers! #iamanerd #whenwillisleep #bemoreawesome